Mechanism for propelling boats.



No. 657,058. Patented Aug. 28, I900. G. H. BLOMSTROM.

MECHANISM FOR PROPELLING BOATS.

(Application filed Mar. 28, 1900.)

(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet I.

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STATES CARL II. BLOMSTROM, OF MARQUETTE,MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO TIIE LAKESHORE ENGINE WORKS, OF SAME PLACE.

MECHANISM FOR PROPELLING BOATS.

SPEGIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 657,058, dated August 28, 1900. Application filed. March 28, 1900. Serial No. 10,449. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, it may concern: with a fly-wheel d, and upon thecrank-shaft, Be it known that I, CARL H. BLOMSTROM, a adjacentthisfly-wheel, is keyed the gearresident of the city and county ofMarquette, wheel (1. The gear-wheel d meshes with pin- State ofMichigan, have invented certain new ionsfand f, that are supported byjournal- 55 5 and useful Improvements in Mechanism for pins projectingfrom the frame E, and these Propelling Boats, of which the following isa pinionsfand f" mesh, respectively, with the full, clear, and exactdescription. gear-wheels g and g, that are keyed to the This inventionhas for its object to provide inner ends of the propeller-shafts G and Gat improved mechanism for propelling boats; opposite sides of thelongitudinal center of 6o and with this object in view my improved theboat and at opposite sides of the engine. propelling mechanism comprisespropeller- The propeller-shat" ts G and G have their forwheels locatedat opposite sides of the stern ward ends journaled in suitable bearingsin of the boat, these Wheels being operated by the frame E, while theirrear portions extend propeller-shafts that extend at each side ofthrough outboard-bearings F, the expanded 65 the engine within the boat.inner ends of which are bolted, as at f to the The invention is shown asapplied to an hull of the boat, and the propeller-shafts open boat, suchas a life-boat, a surf-boat, or carry at their rear ends thepropeller-wheels the like; but it will be understood, of course, G2 andG by which the movement of the that the invention is applicable to boatsof boat will be controlled. 70 various kinds and sizes. The constructionand mode of operation of The invention consistsin the novel featureseach of the propeller-wheels, and as well also of constructionhereinafter described, illusthe construction of its bearing-sleeve, aretrated in the accompanying drawings, and fully set forth in anapplication for Letters particularly pointed out in the claims at thePatent,fi1ed in the United States Patent Office 75 end of thisspecification. on the 27th day of January, A. D. 1900, Se- Figure 1 is aview, partly in side elevation rial No. 2,933, and need not be moreparticuand partly in vertical longitudinal section, of larly describedhere. It may be stated, howthe stern of a boat embodying my invention.ever, that the propeller-wheels belong to that Fig. 2 is a plan View ofthe parts shown in class of wheels having revoluble blades, the 80 0Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view in vertical cross-secmovement of which bladesvaries the angles tion through the hull of the boat behind the at whichthey shall out the water in the revorear bulkhead. Fig. 3 is aviewinelevation lution of the wheel, this movement of the of the bed-plate orengine-frame. Fig. 4. is blades being controlled by the longitudinal adetail front view showing modified mechmovement of the propeller-shaft.

5 anism for driving the twin propeller-shafts. By reference to Figs. 1and 2 of the draw- Fig. 5 is a plan view of the modified mechanings itwill be seen that the gear-wheels g ism shown in Fig. 4. and g havetheir faces considerably broader A designates the hull of the boat, thatmay than the faces of the pinions f and f, the be of any usual orsuitable construction, the purpose of this construction being to enable0 o stern portion of the boat only being shown. these gears and pinionsto remain in mesh Within the stern and at the rear of thebulknotwithstanding the longitudinal movements head B is mounted anexplosive engine. As of the propeller-shafts necessary to vary theshown, this engine is a gasolene-engine havangle of thepropeller-blades. Upon each of ing twin cylinders C, and beneath thecylinthe propeller-shafts G and G is fixed a 001- 95 ders of the engineextends the crank-shaft D. lar H, that is encircled by a band or ring h,The engine is mounted upon a bed plate or the trunnion-pins 72. of whichare engaged by frame E, this frame being shown as formed the fork-shapedlower ends of the operatingwith legs or extensions e, e", and c thatrest levers K, these levers being shown as pivoted upon the keel of theboat and upon the walls to brackets 70, projecting from the side wallstoo of the hull adjacent the keel. The outer end of the boat. The upperend of each of the 0f the crank-shaft D is shown as provided levers K isprovided with a handle by which the lever can be manipulated in order toshift the corresponding propeller-shaft in forward or backwarddirection, and thereby vary the angle of the blades of thepropellerwheel that is carried by said shaft.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that when revolution isimparted to the drive-shaft D of the explosive-engine correspondingrevolution will be imparted from the drive-shaft, through the medium ofthe pinionsfandf and gear-wheels g and g, to the propeller-shafts G andG at opposite sides of the engine. If it be assumed that theoperating-levers K are in the same position, then the propeller-wheels Gand G will have their blades so set as to cut the water at a like angle,and the boat will be propelled in straightforward direction if theposition of the operating-levers K be set for this action. If, however,it is desired to reverse the motion of the boat, then the operator byshifting the levers K can reverse the angle of the blades of thepropeller-wheel, and thus effect the backward movement of the boat. Ifit be desired to turn the boat to the right or to the left, the operatorcan manipulate the operating-levers K so that the blades of thepropeller-wheels G and G3 will cut the water at different angles,thereby causing the boat to turn to one side or the other or to turncompletely around, if desired. I have found in practice that by locatingthe propeller-shafts on opposite sides of the engine, these shafts beinggeared to the forward end of the engine crank-shaft, a very compact andeffective arrangement is secured and one particularly well adapted forsmall boats in which explosive-engines are employed, and by providingthe propeller-shafts with pro-' peller-wheels the blades of which arevariable to change the direction of travel of the boat the steering ofthe boat can be readily effected by means of the propeller-Wheels.

In Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings I have illustrated modified means fortransmitting motion from the crank-shaft to the propellershafts locatedat opposite sides thereof. In this form of the invention the crank-shafthas keyed thereto an eccentric M, that is encircled by a yoke m,connected with a triangular frame N. At opposite sides of the base ofthis triangular frame N are formed holes to receive the wrist-pins O,that project from the cranks P, attached to the forward ends of thepropeller-shafts G and G. From the foregoing description it will be seenthat as the crank-shaft D is revolved revolution will be imparted to thepropeller-shafts G and G through the medium of the eccentric, thetriangular frame, and the cranks at the forward ends of thepropeller-shafts.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination with a boat and withan engine therefor located in the stern and having a crankshaft, of twopropeller-shafts parallel to said crank-shaft, located upon oppositesides of said engine, and extending through the stern of the boat, saidpropellershafts having propeller-wheels at their outer ends and havingtheir inner ends operatively connected with the forward end of saidengine crank-shaft.

2. The combination with an engine having a crank-shaft, of twopropeller-shafts located on opposite sides of said engine, saidpropeller-shafts having their inner ends suit-ably connected to thecrank-shaft and provided at their rear ends with propeller-wheels havingrevoluble blades and suitable means whereby the angles of thepropeller-blades may be independently shifted to vary the direction oftravel of the boat.

3. The combination with an engine having a crank-shaft provided with agear-wheel, of two propeller-shafts located upon opposite sides of saidengine, means whereby said propeller-shafts may be shifted inlongitudinal direction, propeller-wheels at the outer ends of saidpropeller-shafts and provided with revoluble blades, and gear-Wheels atthe inner ends of said propeller-shafts suitably connected with thegear-wheel of the crank-shaft.

CARL H. BLOMSTROM. Witnesses:

J. FRED KERN, FRED H. BEGOLE.

